4.7 Article

Genome-Wide Identification of the Xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/Hydrolase (XTH) and Polygalacturonase (PG) Genes and Characterization of Their Role in Fruit Softening of Sweet Cherry

Journal

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212331

Keywords

Prunus avium; xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) ; polygalacturonase (PG); fruit softening; cell wall

Funding

  1. National Natural Science Foundation of China [31972390]
  2. National Key R&D Program of China [2019YFD1000102-02]
  3. Construction of Beijing Science and Technology Innovation and Service Capacity in Top Subjects [CEFF-PXM2019_014207_000032]
  4. 2115 Talent Development Program of China Agricultural University

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The study revealed that fruit firmness in sweet cherry is related to cell wall-modifying enzymes such as Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) and polygalacturonases (PGs). Among them, PavXTH14, PavXTH15, and PavPG38 are likely to participate in fruit softening, with increased expression during fruit development and ripening. Phytohormones ABA, MeJA, and ethephon were found to elevate the expression of PavPG38 and PavXTH15, promoting fruit softening.
Fruit firmness is an important economical trait in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) where the change of this trait is related to cell wall degradation. Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) and polygalacturonases (PGs) are critical cell-wall-modifying enzymes that occupy a crucial position in fruit ripening and softening. Herein, we identified 18 XTHs and 45 PGs designated PavXTH1-18 and PavPG1-45 based on their locations in the genome of sweet cherry. We provided a systematical overview of PavXTHs and PavPGs, including phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, and expression profiling of these genes. The results showed that PavXTH14, PavXTH15 and PavPG38 were most likely to participated in fruit softening owing to the substantial increment in expression during fruit development and ripening. Furthermore, the phytohormone ABA, MeJA, and ethephon significantly elevated the expression of PavPG38 and PavXTH15, and thus promoted fruit softening. Importantly, transient expression PavXTH14, PavXTH15 and PavPG38 in cherry fruits significantly reduced the fruit firmness, and the content of various cell wall components including hemicellulose and pectin significantly changed correspondingly in the transgenic fruit. Taken together, these results present an extensive analysis of XTHs and PGs in sweet cherry and provide potential targets for breeding softening-resistant sweet cherry cultivars via manipulating cell wall-associated genes.

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